We always hear 'change is hard' and this year in particular, it could not be more true. This year our middle school has undergone a number of changes. Some very necessary, some by choice and some that are out of our control. When too many changes occur at a given time, and there are cracks in the foundation of trust, things can become unsettling, negative and at times more than one can bear. In the teaching profession change is always going to come. Some argue that it comes slower in teaching than in any other profession. There tends to be push back with change. I think it has to do with the level of uncertainty and unknown it brings with it. We like routine and perfecting our craft, and just when you start to feel comfortable and confident in what you are doing, new initiatives, new technology and new philosophies creep in.
The one aspect of change that I have always had an easier time embracing is the change that occurs in my classroom. With my students. I am someone who likes to mix it up each year. While I keep some of the main areas of content in tact (poetry, research, short stories), I have always enjoyed trying a new lesson or activity within that content. This year I have been teaching poetry through Interactive Student Notebooks (ISN) for the first time and am loving it! I think the students are really into the tactile and interactive piece especially. It has been a true learning experience that I have had and been able to share it with my students. We have been able to build a safe learning environment on trust and risk taking, which has been key. I think that there is so much value in students seeing a teacher try something for the first time and work their way through it. Essentially making it one of the more powerful ways of showing it is okay to try something new....through modeling.
I am planning on taking that to the next level and truly changing a significant unit that I have been teaching and evolving with over the past ten years and throwing it out the window and starting something completely new. I am extremely nervous and scared that it will not work, or I will fail and it is going to be a complete and utter disaster. Not to mention, I will be entering uncharted waters for me....drama. I am throwing away my world mythology unit and replacing it with a unit on Thornton Wilder's Our Town...ambitious for 7th graders?? I know! This is why people are so hesitant to change. It is scary and it has great potential to not go well. However, I was raised with the mindset that I am not going to shy away from something just because it is hard. Change is hard, but the reward can be great. I am looking forward to spending all of my energy into making this decision be a success, while knowing it will need to evolve and it won't be perfect.
As one of my teaching inspirations David Burgess says
"If someone told you teaching would be easy, they lied. It's not supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be worth it."
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